RESEARCH OF THE TRAFFIC CAPACITY OF A HIGHWAY LANE WHEN DRIVING WITHOUT OVERTAKING

Abstract

The study of the conditions that arise when a group of cars moves along a lane without overtaking has shown that the generally accepted definition of capacity as the maximum possible number of vehicles that can pass through the cross-section of a roadway lane per unit of time is not sufficiently informative. This leads to the fact that the actual intensity of traffic flows exceeds the capacity on many sections of highways in different countries, which should not be the case, based on its wording. In this form, this indicator also does not reflect the quality of service for road users on the section, the achievement of a high level of which is the main purpose of the creation and operation of highways. Using the method of idealization, it is shown that the total time for a dense group of vehicles to overcome a certain single-lane section of a highway of non-zero length without overtaking and overtaking, which begins when the first vehicle of the group crosses the beginning of the section and ends when the last of them crosses the beginning of the section, depends only on the speed of the slowest member of the group. It is assumed that in free conditions these vehicles would move at different speeds chosen by each driver individually, based on the technical characteristics of the vehicle, road conditions and their own wishes, which is fully consistent with the real traffic conditions on road sections in many countries where the relevant studies were conducted. The paper substantiates the need to take into account the length of the section when determining its capacity, as the traffic intensity at which the traffic conditions set at a certain level of quality are ensured on the section. As the main indicator that reflects these conditions, it is proposed to use the free movement speed, which reflects the preferences of drivers in the traffic flow.